Automatic fire-protector for oil-tanks.



W. J. DONNBLL.

AUTOMATIC FIB-E PROTECTOR FOB OIL TANKS.

APPIJUATIOK mum mm: 1a, 1909.

954,265. Patented Apr.5, 1910.

g ,0 1 ll 2; Fig.2

35 WITNESSES 3 3/ INVZENTOR I y j flk W -M ,2 1 7 UNITED STATES grENTOFFICE.

WILLIAM JAMES DONNELL, OF KIEFER, OKLAHOMA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOCHARLES FRANCIS ROBERTSON, OF KIEFER, OKLAHOMA.

AUTOMATIC FIRE-PROTECTOR FOR OIL-TANKS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 18, 1909. Serial No. 502,926.

To all whom it may, 001mm:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM JAMES Don- NELL, a citizen of the UnitedStates of America, residin at Kieter, county of Creek, State of%)klahoma, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements inAutomatic Fire-Protectors or Oil-Tanks, whereof the following is aspecification.

Crude petroleum as it comes from the wells contains some natural gascommingled with it and there is always more or less of such gas escapingfrom the storage tanks containing the oil. These storage tanksconstructed partly ofwood and partly of steel or entirely of steel, aredisposed in tank farms in the oil fields and adjacent to pipe linestations and have capacities ranging from a few hundreds or thousands tofift thousand barrels of oil. Fires caused by lightning frequently occuramong these tanks and destroy eachyear enormous quantities of oil. Thelightning i nites the gas escaping through vents or ot er openings inthe top of the tank and the flames thus started extend to the tanks andtheir contents and cause explosions which spread the fire.

The object of this invention is to provide a protector for oil tankswhich will exclude the flames of the ignited gas from contact with thetank or with the body of oil therein and operate automatically toextinguish such flames initially before any damage is done thereby.

The invention consists principally inan oil tank fire protectorcomprising an upwardly extending flue tube adapted for attachment to an011 tank for collecting the gas escaping from said tank and discharginit into the atmosphere at a point above an away from said tank, andemergency means for automatically closing said tube to shut off the flowof gas thereth-rough, said means including a device fusible orcombustible in proximity to the outlet of said tube where the burning ofthe gas takes place when accidentally ignited by lightning or otherwise.The tube is also provided with a wire gauze ard which prevents the flamefrom escen ing the tube or entering the tank.

Figure 1 of the accom anylng drawings represents a side elevation of theupper part of an oil tank and a side elevation of a fire protectorapplied thereto and embodying the preferred form of this invention,

Patented Apr. 5, 1910.

parts being broken out to show the connection of said protector with thetank. Fig. 2

represents on an enlarged scale a vertical longitudinal section of thisfire protector constructed in sections.

The same reference numbers indicate corresponding parts in both figures.

A tank for containing crude or other petroleum or other inflammablegaseous liquid is indicated by' the part marked 10, which shows the toportion of such a tank. The tank so indlcated has applied to it a firerotector embodying this invention orone orm thereof.

.In the form of oil tank fire protector herein illustrated an upwardlyextending flue tube 20 is provided with an inlet opening 21 and anoutlet opening or orifice 22, sald openings being disposed one below theother, the inlet bein preferably at the lower end of said tube and theoutlet at the upper end thereof. When applied to a tank the inlet 21opens into the upper part of the tank and the outlet or orifice 22 o ensto the atmosphere some considerable istance above the tank. The tube 20is'preferably constructed in sections united by an overlapped joint orotherwise. An automatic damper 35 for closing said tube is disposedbetween said inlet and outlet. This damper may be hinged to a collar 30inserted in the tube, and adapted to shut against a seat 31 formed insaid collar. The damper is weighted or otherwise provided with meanswhich close it automatically. A flame guard 36 preferably in the form ofa dia hragm com osed of wire gauze is disposed in the tu e 20 below saiddamper.

Means normally operative to hold the damper 35 in open position includea device fusible or otherwise thermall severable in proximity to theoutlet of sai tube so as to be broken or severed to release the damperby the heat of a flame ignited by lightning or otherwise and burning atthe orifice of said tube. Any suitable means may be employed for thispurpose. The means shown comprise an arm 40 provided with an eye or hook41, and a suspension device 50. In use the arm 40 is secured to the tube20 near the top thereof and its upper end referably overhangs the outletopening 22 0 said tube. The suspension device 50 is stretched betweenthe hook of said arm and the damper 35 swung upward in open position,said sus pension device passing throu h the outlet orifice 22 of saidtube and hem composed of combustible or fusible material at least insome portion of its structure in proximity to said outlet. 7

Any suitable means may be employed for attaching 'the fire protector tothe tank. In the form shown in the drawings, the lower end of the fluetube 20 is extended through the top of the oil tank 10 and securedthereto by a flanged collar 11 and rivets 12. Thejoints between thecollar and tube and flange and tank top may be screwthreaded or closedby cement, calking or other suitable means.

The flue tube is preferably made about six feet long and about sixinches in diameter for small storage tanks for crude petroleum andlarger in proportion for larger storage tanks.

, its contents, and the wire gauze guard 36 tube where the burninprevents the flame from being drawn into the tank or from passingdownward-in the tube below said guard. The heat of the flame of the soignited gas soon severs by combustion, fusing or otherwise, the flexiblesupport 50 which holds the weighted damper 35 in open position. .Whenthis support is thus severed the damper closes by gravity or otherwiseand shuts 01f the flow of gas through the tube '20 and puts out the firebefore any heat therefrom reaches the tank or its contents.

This protectiveextinguisher is applicable to either tanks or receptaclescontainmg hydrocarbon or other liquids with which more or less gas iscommingled.

I claim as my invention:

'1. An oil tank fire protector comprising an upwardly extending fluetube adapted for attachment to an 011 tank for collecting the gasescaping from said tank and discharging it into the atmosphere at apoint above and away from said tank, and emergency means forautomatically closing said tube to shut off the flow of gas therethrouh, said means including a device thermally severable in proximity to theoutlet of said of the as takes place when accidentally ignited byightning or otherwise.

-2. An oil tank fire protector comprisin an upwardly extending fluetubeadapte for attachment to an oil tank for collecting the gas escapingfrom said tank and 'discharging it mto the atmosphere at a point aboveand away from said tank, a. flame let and outlet 0 enings disposed apartrom each other, the inlet being below the outlet, adamper between saidinlet and outlet and operative automatically to close said tube andmeans normally operative tohold sai damper in open position, said meansincluding a support thermally severable in proximity to said outlet torelease said damper in case of accidental fire at said outlet of thegases conveyed through said tube.

4. An oil tank fire protector comprisin an upwardly extending flue tubeadapted for attachment to an oil tank and havin inlet and outlet openindisposed apart rom each other, the inlet filing below the outlet adamper between said inlet and outlet and operative automatically toclose said tube, a flame guard disposed-in said tube below said damper,and means normally operative to hold said damper in open position, saidmeans including a support thermally severable in proximity to saidoutlet to release said damper incase of accidental fire at said outletof the gases conveyed through said tube. y

5. The combination of a closed oil tank, an-upwardly extending flue tubehaving an inlet open into the upper part of said tank and a dischargeorifice above the to of said tank, an automatic damper dispose in saidtube between said inlet and outlet, a su port for said damper operativeto'norma y hold it in open osition, said support being thermally severale-in proximity to said orifice to automatically release said damper incase offire at said outlet of the gases conveyed through said tube.

6. A fire protector for an oil tank comprising a flue tube forattachment to such tank, an automatic damper for-:closingsaid flue tube,an arm secured to said flue tube near the orifice thereof, and athermally severable support connected with said arm and adapted fornormally holding said damper in open position.

7. A fire protector for an oil tank comprising a flue tube forattachment to such tank, an automatic damper for closing said flue tube,an arm secured to said flue tube near the orifice thereof and extendingapproximately over the axis thereof, and a thermally severable supportconnected with said arm and adapted for normally holding said damper inopen position.

8. A fire protector for an oil tank comprising a flue tube forconnection with such prising a sectional flue tube for connection tank,an automatic damper for closin said with an oil tank, a collar disposedin the tube, an arm extending above the orifice of upper end of onesection of said flue tube said tube and a thermally severable support 155- and provided with a damper seat, an autoconnectin with said damperand above said matic damper for closing said tube su orifice wit saidarm.

ported on said collar an arm secured to t e outer end of the outersection of said flue WILLIAM'JAMES DONNELL' tube and a thermallyseverable support con- Witnesses:

10 necting said arm with said damper. R. P. WEDDING,

9. A fire protector for an oil tank com- KELLY K. limo.

